Doctoral Citations

A doctoral citation summarizes the nature of the independent research, provides a high-level overview of the study, states the significance of the work and says who will benefit from the findings in clear, non-specialized language, so that members of a lay audience will understand it.
Year Citation Program
2017 Dr. McEwan examined teamwork in sports. His research contributions included providing a theoretical model and definition of teamwork, developing a questionnaire of teamwork, and creating a teamwork training program that sports teams can utilize. Together, his work has opened up a new line of research in the field of sport psychology. Doctor of Philosophy in Kinesiology (PhD)
2017 Dr. Steckler examined how people make moral judgments - that is, how they decide whether something is right or wrong. He found evidence that moral judgments are in part generated by intuitive processes and may not depend on linguistic reasoning. Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology (PhD)
2017 Dr. Assinck examined the efficacy of cell transplantation after spinal cord injury in rodents. She further examined the role of endogenous cells and their contribution to myelination after injury. This work is important for the rational development of strategies to promote recovery after spinal cord injury. Doctor of Philosophy in Neuroscience (PhD)
2017 Dr. Pankowska researched the role of terroir and VQA certification in pricing and sales of BC made wines. Her results show that terroir has limited importance in wine pricing. She also proved that VQA certification positively influences the volume of wine sales, but it doesn't impact wine pricing. Doctor of Philosophy in Integrated Studies in Land and Food Systems (PhD)
2017 Dr. De La Vega's research revolved around rhenium, a silverish heavy metal and the last detected element. He formulated it into a diagnostic X-ray imaging agent, and, in radioactive form, into a therapeutic agent for liver cancer therapy. His work established the foundations for expanding rhenium's use in medical imaging and nuclear medicine. Doctor of Philosophy in Pharmaceutical Sciences (PhD)
2017 Accurate needle placement is crucial for the success of interventional procedures. Dr. Beigi proposed a methodology to improve needle localization in ultrasound using signal processing, time-series analytics and machine learning. She demonstrated that motion pattern analysis can be used to detect & track an otherwise invisible needle in ultrasound. Doctor of Philosophy in Electrical and Computer Engineering (PhD)
2017 The extent to which tropical forests change after the harvesting of trees is not clear. Dr. Addo-Danso's research showed that the forest structure, biomass and productivity in a tropical forest in Ghana recovered to pre-harvesting levels 54 years after the trees were cut. His findings have important implications for the management of tropical forests. Doctor of Philosophy in Forestry (PhD)
2017 Dr. Gibbons examined the evolution of physiological traits in the threespine stickleback fish using both whole organism and molecular genetic approaches. He explored the roles of salinity and temperature in driving evolutionary divergence during freshwater colonization by this species. His work helps us understand current patterns in fish distribution. Doctor of Philosophy in Zoology (PhD)
2017 Dr. Da Silva developed algorithms and software systems for solving large-scale inverse problems. His work helps to reduce the impact of missing data on solving these problems, leading to more robust and cost-effective data-acquisition methods. Doctor of Philosophy in Mathematics (PhD)
2017 Dr. Joy studied geometry modeling for the mathematical description of the shape of machining workpieces. He also studied machining simulation to cut these workpieces in a virtual environment. His research has lead to a more accurate and efficient method that enables fast and accurate process verification for complex multi-axis milling operations. Doctor of Philosophy in Mechanical Engineering (PhD)
2017 Dr. Chartrand studied how riverbed shapes form along mountain streams. Using experiments, he found that their formation is determined by how channel width and velocity change moving downstream, which he captured with a mathematical model. This knowledge will aid in the design of river restoration projects that seek to improve conditions for salmon. Doctor of Philosophy in Geography (PhD)
2017 Dr. Keeler studied fast methods for integral equations applied to problems in fluid animation. The resulting surface-only methods implicitly handled infinite boundaries such as the ocean's depth. He also studied compressing the resulting surface data for use in real-time applications such as virtual reality and computer games. Doctor of Philosophy in Computer Science (PhD)
2017 Dr. Vincart-Emard simulated black hole dynamics to address fundamental questions related to superconductivity, entanglement propagation, and spacetime instabilities in higher-dimensional settings. Findings revealed unexpected physical consequences that may impact the solid state and gravitational physics communities alike. Doctor of Philosophy in Physics (PhD)
2017 Dr. Schelew designed a photonic integrated circuit in a silicon microchip with potential applications in information processing. She developed a novel protocol for extracting all relevant information about the circuits' optical response. The results of this work will help guide future designs of circuit components used to process optical signals. Doctor of Philosophy in Physics (PhD)
2017 Dr. Otani studied a Japanese university's writing centre, and examined how it was established and how it used imported pedagogical ideas in tutoring sessions. Her study connected the mechanism of policy borrowing to internationalization, revealing conflicts with local disciplinary practices and learning needs for Japanese and English academic writing. Doctor of Philosophy in Language and Literacy Education (PhD)
2017 Dr. Valizadeh completed her doctoral studies in the field of Electrical and Computer Engineering. She studied video compression algorithms for 2D and 3D videos. Her work focused on improving compression efficiency of the latest video coding standard. Her research enables better video quality compared to the previous state-of-the art methods. Doctor of Philosophy in Electrical and Computer Engineering (PhD)
2017 Dr. Brisson explored identity among plurilingual students in a Francophone school in BC. Her research highlights factors preventing the expression of some linguistic and cultural identities as legitimate and supports current views of identity as dynamic. This work will have important implications for plurilingual learners in regular classrooms. Doctor of Philosophy in Language and Literacy Education (PhD)
2017 Dr. Buren showed how connections from cortical to striatal neurons are disrupted in an early stage of Huntington's disease, an inherited neurodegenerative disorder. This study highlights the pre-neurodegenerative pathology and lays a foundation for therapeutic treatment. Doctor of Philosophy in Neuroscience (PhD)
2017 Dr. Christian examined how Indigenous cultural knowledge informs production practices when making films for Fourth World/Indigenous Cinema. Her work highlights the connections between land, story, and cultural protocols. This work will be of interest to social, political, film theorists and policy/decision makers who intersect with Indigenous arts organizations. Doctor of Philosophy in Educational Studies (PhD)
2017 Dr. Bodnar studied the impact of early-life environment on endocrine and immune function over the life course. She identified that in utero alcohol exposure results in a unique immune signature in the brain and periphery. Furthermore, her work has uncovered mechanisms underlying individual differences in inflammatory responses. Doctor of Philosophy in Neuroscience (PhD)
2017 Dr. Ma developed novel communication methods and resource management algorithms in future smart home networks and fifth-generation wireless systems. The proposed methods and algorithms improve the quality of life of the residents in smart homes and boost the efficiency of the mobile communication systems, making life easy and fun in the future. Doctor of Philosophy in Electrical and Computer Engineering (PhD)
2017 Dr. Lau engineered an immunogenic tuberculosis vaccine strain that is highly visible to the host immune system. Her work presents a novel approach to tuberculosis vaccine design and paves the way for eradication of the disease. Doctor of Philosophy in Experimental Medicine (PhD)
2017 Dr. Gabel used advanced medical imaging tools to study how bone strength is gained across 12 years of adolescent growth and the influence of maturity, physical activity and sedentary behaviour in boys and girls. Her unique contributions confirmed adolescence as a critical 'window' for bone health and underscored the importance of physical activity. Doctor of Philosophy in Experimental Medicine (PhD)
2017 Dr. Kolpashnikova studied the gendered division of housework in Canada, paying special attention to changes over time and to the factors explaining women's and men's differential participation in routine and non-routine housework tasks. This research reveals patterns and processes that could propel societal changes toward greater gender equality. Doctor of Philosophy in Sociology (PhD)
2017 Dr. Curle examined the transition from early intervention services to Kindergarten for children who are deaf or hard of hearing. She discovered that one of the main factors influencing the transition to school is the pattern of interactions between the individuals, groups, and institutions connected to the child. Doctor of Philosophy in Special Education (PhD)

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